20+ lame corporate gifts and bonuses for longtime employees: 'It was a pen. Not a nice pen.'

Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor

Jun 21, 2024 8:00 AM EDT

Never underestimate your employer's ability to let you down.

Picture this: your annual review is coming up. You're coming on five years at a company without a meaningful promotion or raise despite always receiving encouraging and positive feedback. You have made it known over the past several months that you really would like something meaningful this time around. Finally, the day has arrived. You walk into the meeting and your boss immediately thanks you for all of your hard work. He says he has something special for you and you immediately think, "Here's the moment." All your hard work is going to pay off after this promotion.

Then, he pulls out a small gift box and inside is a corporate pen. No raise, no bonus, just a pen. As many folks in the comments section suggested to several of these employees, the complete disrespect is a reason alone to quit. Keep scrolling below for the full list of worst corporate gifts. For more, check out this list of petty HOA rules.